This invention relates to a safety device which is used to secure a firearm against being fired.
There have been various types of safety plugs and the like developed for insertion in a gun barrel to prevent firing of the gun. Typical examples of such safety devices are found in the Hansen U.S. Pat. No. 2,478,098, the Garretson U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,107, and the Santangelo U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,807. Each of these devices provides a rod or plug which is installed in a gun barrel to lock the gun against discharge.
These safety devices and others of this genre require complex lock mechanisms in order to secure the safety plug in the gun barrel. Consequently, costs are rather high and the time and effort involved in inserting and removing the plug are considerable. Moreover, the rods are typically smaller in size than the bore of the gun barrel so that they are susceptible to falling out of the barrel in the event of a failure of the lock or inadvertence of the user to secure the lock.
The locks used with typical safety plugs universally project beyond the muzzle end of the gun barrel. Such is a significant drawback from at least two standpoints. First, the projecting parts of the safety device destroy the esthetic appearance of the firearm for purposes of display. Many gun owners do not employ safety mechanisms for this reason. Secondly, a lock which projects from the gun barrel is readily accessible for tampering should the weapon come into the possession of an unauthorized person.
An additional difficulty with existing safety devices is they are often suitable only for a single caliber of firearm and their versatility is thus lacking. A further problem is that some existing devices simply plug the barrel rather than the firing chamber, and the gun is not actually secured against being inadvertently fired since it is still possible to place a shell in the firing chamber. Many devices, on the other hand, require that the plug be secured at the breech end of the gun after having been inserted from the muzzle end. Accordingly, the operations required to secure the device in place and to remove it tend to be excessively complicated and, again, there arises a situation where the safety device is simply not used.
It is an important object of the present invention to provide a firearm safety device which is improved in its construction and simplified in its use as compared to existing safety mechanisms. At the same time of achieving the advantages of simplicity in construction and use, the safety device does not distract from the esthetic appearance of the firearm and, consequently, the device may be readily used for guns on display.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device which includes only two parts and which does not require a complicated locking mechinism such as those typically employed in prior art devices.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety device which is adapted to be used with firearms of various types and sizes and to fit tightly within the gun barrel and firing chamber in order to be difficult to remove.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device of the character described which is recessed within the barrel so as to be inaccessible other than with a special tool.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a safety device of the character described which is inserted into the barrel and removed therefrom entirely from the muzzle end. Thus, the device achieves universal application for breech and muzzle loading weapons.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.